Close to $100 million was traded during the second day of the JRHA Select Sale in Hokkaido, Japan, on Tuesday to bring a close to a renewal that will last long in the memory.

The second session, devoted to foals, saw 226 lots – 93% – change hands for a total of 11,638,000,000 yen ($104,846,847) and an average of 51,495,575 yen ($463,925), both records for the sale. 

Overall, 439 lots were sold over the two days for a total of 22,561,000,000 yen ($203,973, 275), up 20% from 2020. The average rose by 18% to 51,391,780 yen ($464,619).

“This is a much stronger market than I expected,” said Teruya Yoshida, Chairman of the JRHA. “As the catalogue this year does not include King Kamehameha and very few Deep Impacts, I thought the market would shrink, but I was wrong. I’m very impressed to see so many new players active throughput the two days.

“The number of buyers registered at this year’s sale is more than 700, which is 10% more than last year, and the market has enough players at every price range. I think it created this strong market.

“I also think we have a great variety of stallions standing in Japan now. There are sires who produce good sprinters, milers and stayers on the turf and the dirt.

“The quality of broodmares we have in Japan is much higher than before, and more stallions have a chance to produce top-class racehorses. Breeders will reinvest the funds to acquire more quality mares to improve the quality of Japanese-bred horses.”

A Kizuna colt out of German Group 2 winner Selkis topped the sale at 410,000,000 yen. Photo – JRHA

All told, 41 lots sold for the equivalent of $1 million or more over the two days including three yearlings from the final crop of the mighty Deep Impact, who averaged the equivalent of $1,861,862 during the opening day.

However, he was outdone at the head of proceedings during Tuesday’s foal session by his son Kizuna, who was responsible for the overall sale-topper, a colt out of German Group 2 winner Selkis who realised 410,000,000 yen ($3,693,694) to trainer Yoshito Yahagi, acting on behalf of Yoshihisa Ozasa. Selkis, a daughter of Monsun campaigned on the track by her breeder Gestut Schlenderhan, has thrived at stud in Japan for Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm as dam of the Classic-placed colt Velox.

In all, it was a good day for Japanese Derby winner Kizuna, who is an important member of the line-up at his sire’s former base, the Shadai Stallion Station. Although still yet to sire a Group 1 winner, he was the Japanese champion first and second-crop sire of his generation and currently sits within the nation’s top four sires, a status that was reflected in the Northern Horse Park sale ring by his average of 67,850,000 yen ($613,472) for 20 foals sold.

The leading sire by average, however, was Japan’s top active sire Lord Kanaloa, whose seven through the ring sold for an average of 109,285,714 yen ($988,177). They included the other foal to surpass the $3 million mark in a colt out of Australian champion Yankee Rose purchased by Danox Co., Ltd for 370,000,000 yen ($3,333,334). 

His dam, by far the best performer sired by the Red Ransom horse All American, was purchased by Yoshida following a career that yielded wins in the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce and ATC Spring Champion Stakes – not bad for a filly who was a A$10,000 yearling. The Lord Kanaloa colt is her second foal.

A Lord Kanaloa colt out of Australian champion Yankee Rose made 370,000,000 yen. Photo – JRHA

As on Monday, it was an exceptional day for Northern Farm as vendor of each of the top six lots and ten of the top 12 overall. 

Among the other high-flyers within the draft was a Heart’s Cry three-parts brother to Japanese Oaks heroine Loves Only You from the Niarchos’ famous Miesque family who made 280,000,000 yen ($2,522,523) to Miki Masahiro and an Epiphaneia colt out of American Grade 1 winner Alterite for whom Y’s Consignment Sales went to 220,000,000 yen ($1,981,982).

Of particular note, however, was the sale of a Frankel colt out of American Grade 1 winner Callback, a daughter of Street Sense purchased by Yoshida for $2 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. 

Frankel has fared notably well in Japan as the sire of Group 1 winners Soul Stirring, Grenadier Guards and Mozu Ascot, and there was duly frenzied interest in his sole offering at the JRHA Select Sale, with the colt eventually falling to Mozu Ascot’s trainer Yoshito Yahagi, acting on behalf of the Thoroughbred Club Lion Co. Ltd, on a bid of 240,000,000 yen ($2,162,163).

Others of international interest included an American Pharaoh colt out of the Galileo mare Switch In Time who sold for 150,000,000 yen ($1,351,352) to Danox Co., Ltd and a Justify colt out of Grade 1 winner Caledonia Road who sold for 135,000,000 yen ($1,216,217). With a yearling from the first crop of Justify also selling for 200,000,000 yen ($1,801,802) on Monday, the Coolmore-based American Triple Crown hero wound up with a sale average equivalent to $1,509,009.

Coolmore’s Irish resident Saxon Warrior was also represented by a filly who sold for 31,000,000 yen ($279,280), Le Havre by a colt who sold for 22,000,000 yen ($198,999) and Bated Breath by a filly who sold for 12,000,000 yen ($108,109).